Coal

America’s newest, most expensive coal-fired power plant is hailed as one of the cleanest on the planet, thanks to government-backed technology that removes carbon dioxide and keeps it out of the atmosphere.

For decades, coal from West Virginia’s vast deposits was mined, loaded on rail cars and hauled off without leaving behind a lasting trust fund financed by the state’s best-known commodity. Big coal’s days are waning, but now a new bonanza in the natural gas fields has state leaders working to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself.

Drive through the coalfields of Central Appalachia, and signs of the siege are everywhere. Highway billboards announce entry to “Obama’s No Job Zone,” while decals on pickup truck windows show a spikey-haired boy peeing on the president’s name.